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1 month ago
Conversation pinch Brian Rice flows easily. Brian Clough pounced to motion nan red-haired midfielder aft he grounded to work together a statement pinch Hibernian successful nan summertime of 1985. “Eff me, it’s Steve Davis,” roared Clough arsenic Rice entered nan manager’s agency for nan first time.
It took until September ‘85 for a tribunal to find Nottingham Forest would person to salary Hibs adjacent to £200,000 for Rice. He had been incapable to play until that conflict was resolved. Clough bawled astatine Rice again arsenic he walked connected to nan training transportation nan pursuing day. “‘You’ll request to spell backmost to Scotland. I’d request to waste nan guidelines to motion you son,’” Rice recalls.
“You should person seen nan look connected my face. Then he conscionable started laughing. The pursuing week I made my debut astatine Anfield. Every time was different. You didn’t cognize if you were training, going to play cricket aliases for an crystal cream.”
Rice is still very invited astatine Forest, wherever he is astir fondly remembered for an audacious decorativeness against Arsenal successful a 1988 FA Cup quarter-final. He cites Johnny Metgod arsenic nan champion subordinate he lined up alongside. Rice besides remembers really during a Clough rant astatine Metgod, nan Dutch centre-back snapped backmost that Forest’s head had signed him. “And I’ll waste you,” Clough retorted. A fortnight later, Metgod was a Tottenham player.
The problem is, this endearing travel down representation lane is simply a precursor to Rice’s broader tale. He will statesman nan caller Scottish play backmost successful nan apical formation arsenic Livingston’s caput of shot operations, a move upstairs aft clip spent connected nan coaching staff. Rice will beryllium a nonaccomplishment connected nan training transportation – he is wide regarded arsenic a superb coach – and an inevitable occurrence successful his caller post. The 61-year-old’s knowledge of shot successful Scotland is encyclopedic.
Rice did not statesman gambling successful nan midst of Forest’s laddish culture. “Mine started erstwhile I was astatine school,” he says. “Throwing pennies against a wall, playing cards. I hardly had a portion earlier I went to Nottingham because I wanted to beryllium a shot subordinate and nan training was intense. Drink really didn’t liking me, but I ever gambled.
“My dada gambled each time but that was 5p aliases 10p and it was nosy to him. It was nosy to maine to commencement with, past it escalated. It takes a grip of you. I knew I had a problem, a monolithic problem. But successful those days, to inquire for thief was a motion of weakness. Now I cognize it is simply a monolithic motion of strength.”
Fast guardant to January 2020 and nan Scottish Football Association denote Rice, past nan head of Hamilton, has been fixed a 10-game prohibition for betting connected matches. “October 15th,” he says. “I was going to watch Scotland Under-21s against Germany astatine Firhill. The telephone went astatine half past 4 successful nan afternoon. It was nan nine caput saying: ‘Brian, we person had nan SFA connected and they are going to analyse you regarding gambling successful football.’ I said: ‘Thank God it is over.’
“I was truthful relieved it was finished. The adjacent time I went successful to spot nan nine owner, told him everything and made judge we went to nan SFA and did nan same. I gave them everything.” A whispering run ensued, including 1 that suggested Rice stake connected games involving his ain clubs. That proved to ne'er beryllium nan lawsuit passim a decade’s worthy of wagers nan SFA examined.
Scottish football’s narration pinch gambling is complex. Betting firms arsenic sponsors are everywhere. Any harm attached to Rice’s section was chiefly to himself. “It was self-inflicted,” he says. “I knew I was doing wrong. I don’t make excuses astir it.
“I don’t deliberation successful immoderate different statement of activity you would beryllium punished for having an addiction. You get help. But they did thief me. Alongside nan suspension, I had to spell to meetings for a year. It was nan champion reward they could ever person fixed me. I was going to 3 aliases 4 meetings a week and I still do that to this day. Those meetings person changed my life, knowledgeable maine and fto maine cognize why I gambled. It has fixed maine nan foundations to person a amended life. If I extremity going there, my mindset could alteration again. I’m not ashamed, I americium doing thing astir my problem.”
“I cognize of cases that person been swept nether nan carpet, that cipher knows about,” Rice adds. “Players reported to beryllium injured astatine their nine and they aren’t. I cognize that for a truth because I person spoken to nan players. But I deliberation it is amended that way, amended than nan measurement it came retired pinch me. People person families arsenic well.”
Rice has had debased points. Plenty of them. “I was connected nan apical of nan 32-storey building successful Qatar and fresh to measurement disconnected it,” he says. “That’s wherever it took me.” His successful narration pinch Falkirk counted for thing erstwhile a instrumentality utilized gambling arsenic a intends to maltreatment nan then-manager astatine Alloa Athletic. “‘I dream it ne'er happens to your family,’ I replied. It was horrible. They spot it arsenic banter and I person to return it. I didn’t that time because it was Falkirk and, to beryllium adjacent to nan club, they were fantastic. The feline didn’t person nan courage to travel forward.”
The 24-hour, 365-days readiness of betting is dissimilar erstwhile Rice played connected either broadside of nan separator and he believes he sold himself short pinch trips to nan equine racing, casino aliases bookie erstwhile he could person been training. He besides urges young footballers to get successful touch if they fearfulness gambling issues are spiralling retired of control.
“I cognize nan signs to look for,” Rice says. “In six years, I person helped much than a twelve players and americium still doing truthful now. Players deliberation it is simply a speedy fix; extremity gambling for a period and I’ll beryllium cured. It’s not stopping gambling, which tin beryllium rather easy; it’s changing your habits. I had to wholly alteration nan measurement I lived, moreover nan measurement I drove location truthful I wasn’t passing 5 betting shops. Fill your time better.”
The time aft our chat, I connection Rice to definitive gratitude for his candour. “It’s my communicative and I’ve thing near to hide from nowadays,” he replies. “Thanks again.” Judgment should see nan truth he is 1 of nan game’s bully guys.
In nan UK, Samaritans tin beryllium contacted connected 116 123 aliases email jo@samaritans.org. You tin interaction nan intelligence wellness kindness Mind by calling 0300 123 3393 aliases visiting mind.org.uk
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